If anyone knows about the transformative power of the NCAA Men’s Final Four, it’s Bobby Hurley. In 1991, he was a scrawny sophomore point guard sweating under the bright lights of the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, part of a Duke Blue Devils squad hoping to avenge the previous year’s championship loss to UNLV. Again pitted against the Runnin’ Rebels for college basketball’s greatest prize, the eight-point underdog Blue Devils scored a shocking 79-77 victory against their opponent, setting the table for an historic run of Duke dominance (three championships and six finals in 12 years) and imbuing Hurley with enough confidence and notoriety to take him all the way to the NBA. Now the head coach of the Arizona State University Sun Devils – a gig he’s held since 2015 – Hurley is the closest thing to a Final Four brand ambassador we have in championship-starved Phoenix, so we sat down with him after a midweek practice to talk freshman jitters, player-coach championships and the uncanny rise of the No. 15 seed.
PHOENIX: You first made the Final Four as a freshman. That must have been a mind-blower.
Hurley: It was. It’s something you want to strive for when you get to college, but feel like you’ll never get there, it’s such a prestigious event. You know, to win four straight games to get there against the best teams in the country – it’s hugely challenging. So, I felt enormous excitement and pride to get there… you know, my freshman year, in Denver.
It’s like the Oscars of college basketball.
Right. And that was the last time it was held in a conventional arena, in the Nuggets facility.
It was intimate, compared to what they do now, play it in football stadiums.
Yeah, it was 20,000 [fans]. And it didn’t go well for me. It was one of the worst losses of my career. We lost by 30 points. It showed me some of the biggest moments can result in the worst possible feelings afterward. So, I kind of worked my way through that, [and] the following year we were lucky enough to have another crack at it. And it was in Indianapolis, first time in the dome, in front of 80,000 people.
And that one went better.
It certainly did. Beating UNLV, who was undefeated at the time, and was just so dominant. It was really special.
How has the tournament changed over the years, besides the bigger venues? What’s with all the upsets? It seems like a No. 15 seed is a blessing now.
[laughs] It seems like it! I think it just reflects all the remarkable, deep talent in the college game right now. You can’t sleep on bubble teams. They’re too good.
Maybe that could be you guys, ASU, delivering the 15 upset this year?
I would probably take that.
You’ve been in the Valley about a decade now. What’s the verdict, coming from a Jersey transplant?
I love it. Love the weather. Love the outdoors. We raised our kids here. My oldest just graduated from ASU.
ASU hasn’t been to a Sweet 16 since 1995. Hasn’t been to an Elite 8 since the ’70s. Obviously, you’d like to rectify that.
Sure.
And the list of guys who’ve won NCAA championships both as coaches and players is pretty short. Bobby Knight and Dean Smith. Is that ultimately a goal?
Yes, absolutely, that’s one of the things that drives me. I tell my players, we all have goals that drive us. Improving their skills, competing, playing in the NBA is a big one for them. And that, winning a championship [on the coaching side], is one of my goals.
